Memory Trick
by Composer1234
Summary: What happens if the Russians found out about Calleigh and Eric? Will that mean Calleigh is in danger, too? If Calleigh gets hurt, what side effect will that bring? Post 7.25. My first ever fanfic please review!
1. The Secret is Out

What happens if the Russians found out about Calleigh and Eric? Will that mean Calleigh is in danger, too? Post 7.25. My first ever fanfic please review!

_Calleigh: We cant lose him…_

_Horatio: I am not going to let that happen…_

'We will find him Calleigh, I don't want you to worry. I also don't want you back in the lab today. Go home and get some rest. The rest of the team will take care of everything.' said Horatio to Calleigh, who was still reluctant to leave the scene even though she knew that by staring at the empty car is not going to make Eric magically appear in front of her.

'Horatio I am fine…you will need everyone at the lab I will get this to -- '

'Natalia is already on it. Calleigh, I want you home and away from this…this situation, o.k?'

Calleigh nodded and walked slowly towards her hummer and just before she got in, she gave the empty car one last look and finally, with an unsatisfied feeling, she drove off towards the sun.

*Back at Calleigh's place*

Calleigh walked into her living room wondering how long it will take before the team finds Eric. She can not help but replaying the scene from this morning in her head over and over again. Eric's face, his unreadable face zooming pass her sight, Sharova sitting next to him and most importantly, the broken wind shield on that silver car.

She put her gun and badge on the coffee table and collapsed on to the sofa.

_Where is he? Is he hurt? Has the Russians got him? He wouldn't just leave Sharova behind? The whole point of him being at the scene was to save him! So does that mean he is in danger?-- _

Before Calleigh could carry on interviewing herself in her mind she heard a noise coming from her bedroom. She can not help but wonder what she has been wondering all day, _Eric is at my place? Is that where he is? Not kidnapped by the Russians?_ She walked slowly into her bedroom and regret unloading her gun deeply. It was after all not Eric, the idea seemed too good to be true anyway, it was a masked man pointing his gun at Calleigh's chest.

'I thought Horatio would send you home. Sometimes cops are just too predictable' said the masked man with an accent.

'What do you want?'

'Oh, that is a very good question. I guess what I want is just a simple answer. Where is your boyfriend?'

The first thought that came to Calleigh's mind was, _Eric is save! Eric is not with them!_ Then the bad news kicked in,_ how did they know we are in a relationship?_

'I don't know what you are talking about?'

'Oh, I think you know exactly what I am talking about, so why don't you stop playing dumb and give me some answers! Or…I think my finger might just slip and accidently pull the trigger.'

'I don't know where he is and even if I do I--'

Before Calleigh can continue her threat to the guy she heard a familiar voice outside her door,

'CALLEIGH??' shouted Ryan.

This was the distraction Calleigh was looking for. The moment the masked man flinched to the sound of Ryan's voice, Calleigh launched for his gun and attempts to point it towards some other direction.

The gun man reacted to Calleigh's action. He pushed Calleigh down on to the floor and pinning her down with his weight.

Calleigh was trying to point the gun towards a less vital part of her body and the gunman was using all his energy to do the opposite. Everything was a mess.

Then suddenly,

*BANG*

'Calleigh??' said Ryan running into her bedroom as soon as he heard the gun shot.

As he entered he found an empty room with the window wide open. Then as he walked round the bed he found something he didn't want to see, something he hoped wasn't true.

'Oh my gosh….OH MY GOSH! CALLEIGH!!' then speaking to his cell phone 'I need an ambulance now!'

Calleigh was lying on the floor unconscious and cloth drenched in her own blood, evidently pouring out of her body from the gun shot wound on her stomach. Ryan can feel Calleigh's body getting colder and her face becoming paler.

'Come on Calleigh, don't do this to us, we've already lost Eric we can't lose you now…keep your heart pumping…just a few minutes…a few minutes…'

tbc


	2. Lost and Found Part I

I would like to thank everyone who reviewed for my first chapter! You don't know how much it means to me!:-)

I will try and update as soon as possible. Enough of me! Here's Chapter dos!

* * *

One ambulance, two police cars were out side Calleigh's place, which has now been circled round by yellow tapes. Natalia jumped out of her hummer and ran towards Ryan who was carrying Calleigh's lifeless body out of the house and towards the ambulance.

'Ryan, what happened?'

'Natalia, I need you to go to the hospital with Calleigh. I had a feeling that the Russians might be waiting at Calleigh's place. Only Eric and Calleigh think no-one knows about their relationship. She was shot, not at a vital part of her body but she's lost so much blood' said Ryan.

Natalia answered Ryan's request by hopping into the ambulance and with the sound of the back door slamming, the ambulance drove off into the darkness.

* * *

*Back at the Lab*

'I told you a million times I don't know where he is. All I remembered was that Eric was covered in blood and the car lost control then blackness. My story is not going to change no matter how many times you rephrase the same question.' Sharova snapped.

'We both know that is not true, is it? and I am beginning to lose my patience. Sharova, Eric is not just a CSI in the lab, he is also one of my oldest friends and most importantly, he is your son!' said Horatio.

Sharova looked at Horatio with mixed feelings. He wanted to help, because after all Eric is a good man, but not everything had gone according to plan.

'Look, my job was to lure Eric into the shoot out at the warehouse this morning and they will complete the task. But it didn't go according to plan.'

'Didn't go according to plan as in the shoot out didn't finish Eric off'

'If you want to put it that way, then yes'

'How did you plan to stay alive during the process?'

'That is the least of your problems, as you can see I improvise a lot'

'Clearly…'

Sharova looked straight into Horatio's eyes and said, 'I really don't know where he is, and you should treat this as good news. It means the Russians haven't got him. He is on the run. But they don't give up easily. They will try their best to find him'

'That…is my job'

* * *

*In the ER*

'Blood pressure?' asked Alexx

'100 dropping to 80'

'Heart rate?'

'75 dropping to 60'

'Ok, gun shot through the stomach. It's not a through and through so we need to get the bullet out. Gina, get the blood ready, AB negative. Calleigh stay with me, stay with me….'

*outside the ER*

Ryan had already joined Natalia.

'Got anything from Calleigh's place?' asked Natalia

'No, just the casing with partial print on it; looks like a 45mm but we won't know for sure until Alexx gives us the bullet in Calleigh's body. It'd be even better if Calleigh is going to be awake to give us the correct answer. The Russians are doing pretty well so far, our finger print expert is missing and our ballistic expert is unconscious.'

'You know, it's surprising that you can still crack jokes in this situation.'

'Well, crying is not going to solve anything, so why not laugh?' said Ryan with a small grin on his face, which quickly disappeared as Alexx walked out of the ER.

'How is she?' asked Natalia anxiously.

'She is stable. But I've got to warn you, she has lost a significant amount of blood. Although, this is not going to effect her physical health but mentally there may be some side effects' Alexx explained.

'What do you mean?' asked Ryan, looking confused.

'I don't know Ryan, every case is different. I just want to prepare you before she wakes. Also, I think this might be helpful' said Alexx handing over a see through bag with a tiny bullet in.

'It's a 45mm' said Ryan.

'No, I think it's a 40mm' Natalia corrected.

'You see, this is why we need Calleigh to be awake'

* * *

*Back at the Lab*

'Valera, do you still have the sample from Sharova's blood?' asked Horatio.

'Yes, of course'

'Compare it to Eric's'

'You want to check for maternity match? Are you suspecting--'

'Yes, I don't believe nor trust this man'

'Ok, it's comparing…'

The screen changed. Flashing red letters read _No Maternity Match_ were showing on the screen.

* * *

O.k, i know Eric is still missing, but I promise you I will bring him back in the next Chapter, just bare with me.

and...What IS Calleigh's side effect?

TBC


	3. Lost and Found Part II

Sorry that it took so long for me to update! Also, a couple of people have pointed out the 'Maternal Match' mistake and I do apologise. Here is the third Chapter, enjoy!

* * *

Outside the lab a familiar figure was resting beside Horatio's car, panting as if he had just run a marathon. The right sleeve of his jacket was covered in blood and it was clear from his torn clothes that the guy had been through a tough time to get to his destination.

It was dark and he knew that it would be several hours before someone spotted his presence, but he could wait. Today had to have been the longest day of his life. He is not a person that usually regrets his decisions but today was different, he nearly lost everything, everything he ever had: a successful career, all the friends he has at work and most importantly, Calleigh. _It took us seven years to realise our feelings for each other and I mess up after only a few months of being with her._ He took a deep breath and let out a long sigh. _It's one in the morning; I still have seven hours to wait. _With that thought he surrendered to his heavy eye lids and let them drop.

_The smell was too good for him to resist. He opened his eyes and found that he was now surrounded by flowers. _Where am I? _He thought. The right sleeve of his jacket was no longer covered in blood and he was in fact quite nicely dressed. He stood up to get a clearer view. It was a large field filled with flowers of all varieties._

'_Eric!' someone called. Eric turned around and no one was there._

'_Eric wake up!' the same voice shouted._

Eric opened his eyes to find a pair of familiar eyes.

'H…' Eric sighed.

'Eric, how did you get here? What happened?' said Horatio.

'Long story short; I was followed by the Russians as soon as I escaped the shootout,' then he suddenly remembered something. 'How is Calleigh? She froze as soon as she saw me, is she OK?' asked Eric urgently.

'She is…fine. So the Russians followed you, then what happened?' said Horatio thinking that he would leave the news until after Eric was treated.

'Then something was off. Sharova seemed tense as if something wasn't right and it wasn't just because we were being chased by armed men. I was injured and felt a bit dizzy- things were going blurry. I managed to get rid of them and decided to drive to the glades. Then suddenly a car came out of nowhere and crashed into us. Our car skidded towards the water but stopped just before it was too late. I made sure that Sharova was alive before I escaped. I figured that if the Russians found him they would want to keep him alive so they could track me down, but somehow I had a feeling that he was working for them,' explained Eric 'so I hid in the woods for a bit, then I heard the sound of cars approaching. I thought they were finally catching up so I left the place. I stayed in the glades till I thought it was safe for me to leave. Then I hailed a cab, told him to drop me off a block away from the lab, walked the rest and here I am.'

'OK, I need to get you to a hospital now,' said Horatio.

'It's nothing. I want to see Calleigh.'

'She's not at the lab. I will tell you more whilst you are being treated.'

**

* * *

**

*at the hospital*

Ryan had just got off the phone with H.

'They found Eric, Natalia.'

'Really! How? Where was he?'

'Well, actually it was more like Eric found us. He escaped from the Russians. Horatio is with him here. His right shoulder's been injured,' said Ryan.

'So Calleigh got him. Not surprised, her aim has always been pretty good. She is going to blame herself so much,' commented Natalia.

'That's not really what I'm worrying about,' he looked at Natalia thoughtfully.

'Yes, I know what you mean. I was thinking the same thing as well. He won't take it well, knowing Eric he will blame himself for everything. How are we going to tell him?' asked Natalia.

'Maybe we should let him find out himself. Besides, Alexx said she might wake up soon…'

'She said it could either be today or tomorrow, but it could also take up to two weeks,' Natalia corrected.

Before Ryan could argue back Horatio and Eric were walking down the hallway. As soon as Eric saw his two colleagues he began to speed up and when he got into hearing range he asked, 'Where is she? H said that she is here.'

Ryan and Natalia looked at each other; however it was Ryan who spoke first.

'Erm, yes, she is here but not here as in with us, although strictly speaking she is with us just not--'

'You're blabbing Wolfe. Just tell me what happened,' said Eric trying to hide his anger.

'OK, she got shot and now she is unconscious. We don't know when she's going to wake up.'

'What?! Who shot her? What happened? You're really not being very helpful here Ryan. When did this happen?' Eric shouted.

'Look, let me explain' said Natalia while looking at Ryan in an I-can't-believe-you-phrased-it-like-that way. 'Basically, somehow the Russians found out about your relationship with Calleigh, and yes, Eric _everyone_ knows,' said Natalia as a shocked expression appeared on Eric's face. Natalia continued 'They went to her place to ask about your whereabouts-' Eric uttered a deep growl but Natalia ignored it '-and it kind of turned into a fight as firstly, Calleigh had no idea where you were and secondly, she wasn't going to just let them shoot her without putting up a fight. Then during the fight Ryan showed up at her place because he had sensed that something was going to happen and before Ryan could step in, the Russian shot her.'

Eric was staring at her blankly. He had no idea what to say, all he wanted to do was to shoot himself for putting Calleigh in danger. Then he asked in an expressionless voice, 'Where?'

'Stomach, so don't worry its nothing_ too_ serious,' answered Ryan.

How could he not worry? He should be the one lying on that hospital bed now, not Calleigh. She had done nothing wrong.

'Also, Alexx said…'said Ryan quietly but stopped as soon as he caught the angry stare Natalia was giving him.

Eric heard him but didn't have the energy or strength to find out what Ryan had been about to tell him. 'I want to see her,' said Eric.

Without commenting, Ryan and Natalia led Eric into the room Calleigh was in.

TBC


	4. The Three Words

Sorry it took me so long to update. Have been busy with concerts and stuff....anyway, enjoy!

* * *

The room was brightly lit and Calleigh was lying on a bed by the window. Eric walked towards her before collapsing onto the chair beside the bed. He reached for her hand and held it firmly. Ryan and Natalia stood by the door uncertain whether to go in and join Eric or not. Finally, they both stepped out of the room to give them some privacy.

Eric, unable to look at Calleigh, kept his head down. 'I am…so….sorry,' whispered Eric. Then he realised that there was something he had never said to Calleigh and probably never would-_ it's now or never_. He plucked up his courage and, looking directly at Calleigh's closed eyes, said, 'I love you.' He swore he felt Calleigh's hand twitch at the words but she looked just as peaceful as she did when he first walked into the room. 'Calleigh, even picturing my life without you makes my heart ache. It feels as if the world is closing in on me. Please, open your eyes. For me,' Eric pleaded. He struggled to fight back the tears threatening to fall. With a blink this resolve shattered and tears streamed down his cheek.

'Eric, can I have a word?' asked Horatio quietly.

'Yes,' said Eric. His eyes never left Calleigh.

'I think it'd be better to do this outside.'

'She can't hear us and I will tell her everything you are about to tell me so it doesn't matter,' Eric replied blankly.

Horatio nodded and said, 'I ran a DNA test using a sample of Sharova's blood and, Eric, I am sorry to tell you this but the DNA type didn't match yours,' Eric didn't look at Horatio or react to this statement. Seeing this, Horatio continued, 'Also, I interrogated him myself earlier today and he has been working for the Russians all along. The good news is he is willing to tell the truth about how he was using you, so you are no longer a suspect and you can return to work,' said Horatio, 'When you are ready,' he added.

Eric gave Horatio a slow nod, with his eyes still fixed on Calleigh. 'I want to stay here tonight.'

With that Horatio left the room and closed the door behind him.

***A week later***

Nothing had changed since the shootout. With all the Russians and the associates locked up, the CSIs continued to work effectively in the lab getting all the cases closed and solved. Calleigh was still lying on the hospital bed unconscious and Eric still paid daily visits to the hospital, often staying the night. He didn't want to miss the moment when Calleigh finally woke up. Waiting was becoming very frustrating for him though and he had been taking it out on people around him. He often got annoyed at people for the tiniest mistakes and without a shadow of a doubt Ryan was at the receiving end of most of the horrible comments.

As if this wasn't enough for Eric to deal with, the new addition to the lab, although strictly speaking not so new, was the main reason for Eric's unstable temper. Jake Berkeley had been 'defrosted' and had now returned at work as a CSI, taking Calleigh's place in the firearms.

'We need his help.' explained Horatio.

Although Eric had thought up a lot of reasons for _not_ hiring him, he bit back his retorts.

'I swear he has worked every single law enforcement based job there is. An ATF undercover agent, undercover for MDPD, homicide detective for MDPD and now a CSI!' said Ryan. Ryan's comment made Eric feel a bit happier.

To not disrupt the working environment too much, Eric always tried to find a way to avoid working with Jake, but he didn't get lucky today. Natalia and Ryan were both at the other crime scene which left Eric with no other choice.

'Hey Delko, I think I found something here,' said Jake picking up the camera and taking a few shots of the strand of hair on the floor, 'It could be from our killer.'

'OK, well, you get it to trace. I need to dust for finger prints.' said Eric trying to keep his voice friendly.

'I went to see Calleigh the other day,' Jake commented quietly.

Eric's head snapped towards Jake so quickly that he almost dislocated his head, if that were possible. 'Why?' he asked.

'Because it was my day off and she's a friend,' answered Jake, confused by Eric's reaction. Jake wasn't stupid. He knew exactly why Eric didn't welcome him into the team with open arms but he thought they were past that issue because it happened so long ago.

Eric wasn't jealous. _OK, maybe a little_, he thought. He didn't have a problem with people visiting Calleigh, as after all, he didn't claim her. He just wanted to be the first person that Calleigh saw when she opened her eyes, and Jake was the last person he would want her to see when she finally woke up.

They worked in silence and just as they were finishing off what they were doing Eric's phone rang. It was Alexx. 'Hey Alexx, is everything OK?' said Eric.

'Yes, everything is fine. Actually, better then fine. Calleigh's just woken up.'

TBC

* * *

I have already started the 5th Chapter so as soon as i finished and my editor aka my beloved friend has finished editing, it will posted!


	5. The New Beginning

Sorry about the late update! been very busy. Enjoy.

* * *

**At the hospital**

Alexx had just got off the phone with Eric. She turned to the half awake Calleigh and said, 'Calleigh, how are you feeling?'

Calleigh's eyes were still exploring this unknown environment. Finally they reached Alexx's eyes.

'I'm…Alexx, how long have I been unconscious?' asked Calleigh sleepily.

'A week,' answered Alexx. 'Calleigh, everyone is on their way here. He will be so happy to see you. For the past few days he's been practically living in the hospital.'

Just as Alexx finished speaking, Natalia and Ryan entered the room.

'Calleigh! I'm so glad to see you awake,' said Natalia.

'Are you feeling OK?' asked Ryan whilst giving Natalia and Alexx a quick glance, obviously remembering the side effect that Alexx mentioned.

'I'm feeling pretty good Ryan. My body is a little stiff but that's probably from lying down for so long,' answered Calleigh.

'Do you remember what happened?' asked Natalia.

'I don't remember everything clearly, but yes, Russian mob, the shootout and--'

Before Calleigh could continue she caught sight of a familiar figure by the door, who was standing next to a stranger. Too tired to ask who the other person was, she turned to the figure she recognised and said, 'Jake! What are you doing here?'

'Erm, oh, well, it's been a year and I guess they feel it's safe for me to walk around in broad day light. I'm working in the lab as a CSI,' answered Jake, surprised that Calleigh greeted him first instead of Eric, who was standing right beside him.

Eric was also surprised that Calleigh didn't talk to him first. But he quickly pulled himself together, _she's leaving the best till last,_ he thought.

'I'm sorry; I don't think we've met. I'm Calleigh,' said Calleigh politely to Eric.

'What?!' said Eric shocked, then realised that Calleigh must be joking. He chuckled, 'Ha-ha, Calleigh I do miss your sense of humour, how are you feeling?'

'I'm feeling great. Sorry, I don't think I caught your name?' said Calleigh.

'OK, Calleigh enough with the joking now,' said Eric with a smile on his face, still not comprehending the situation.

The rest of team understood what had happened as soon as Calleigh asked who Eric was. This was the side effect; Calleigh didn't remember who Eric was.

Meanwhile Calleigh was becoming frustrated with the newcomer; she didn't understand how someone could be so rude! She had asked for his name twice now. She turned to Alexx and asked angrily, 'Alexx, who is this person?'

The smile on Eric's face was slowly disappearing. He had finally sensed that something wasn't right. He turned to Ryan and asked, 'Ryan, what's going on here? Is this some kind of a joke?'

Ryan dragged Eric out of the room without saying a word. Natalia, Alexx and Jake followed closely behind. Before leaving the room Alexx turned to the confused Calleigh and said reassuringly, 'Everything is fine baby, why don't you get some rest?'

*Outside Calleigh's room*

'What's going on Wolfe?' demanded Eric.

'Look, when you "came back'' a week ago, we, erm, missed a few facts about Calleigh's injury. Alexx told us that Calleigh might suffer from some side effects,' said Ryan, 'but we didn't know what they could be. What happened in that room was a surprise to all of us,' Ryan added quickly.

'Alexx…what exactly is…wrong with Calleigh's…memory?' asked Eric blankly.

'Well, there's only one explanation to Calleigh's situation. She didn't get a head injury so memory lapses shouldn't have happened, but it doesn't mean it's impossible. When someone loses a lot of blood, they go into hypovolemic shock - meaning that the body doesn't have enough blood to maintain a reasonable level of circulating fluid. This causes a sudden reduction of oxygen to the brain, which causes widespread death of nerve cells and significant memory loss. Usually the patient "blocks out" the most painful memory in their life,' explained Alexx. 'Oh no, Eric, this doesn't mean Calleigh's most painful memory is you,' she added, catching sight of Eric's facial expression, 'she's blocking you out because, I guess, losing you was too painful. Her brain chose to forget you completely.'

Eric now fully understood the phrase 'I am speechless'. What was he going to do now? Calleigh didn't remember anything about him, their friendship or their relationship. Emptiness. That's all he could feel, emptiness. Eric could feel the 4 pairs of eyes staring at him. Needing to break the silence, he said, 'so, they're gone. All those memories are gone, forever?'

'No Eric, she blocked them out. It's as if she's locked up the drawers containing memories of you. In order to unlock them you just need the keys,' answered Alexx.

'Look Eric, Calleigh is still Calleigh, nothing about her has changed. So if you guys managed to become such a good friends before, it doesn't mean she won't like you now! Just rebuild your friendship and while doing so, try and find the keys,' said Natalia.

'Exactly, Eric. We will all be here to help you,' said Ryan.

Jake didn't say anything. Eric didn't want him to either. After all, rebuilding friendship takes time and without Jake's interference he could spend the rest of his life building his friendship with Calleigh. But with Jake around, time was something he didn't have. _It's better to try and not succeed, than to not try at all_, he thought.


	6. Give up or Carry on

After she gained consciousness, Calleigh was out of the hospital within a few days. Jake had been transferred back to homicide working as a detective as Calleigh had returned. Although this minimised Jake and Calleigh's working hours together Eric was still not entirely happy, but this was the best he could hope for.

In order to find the keys he often dropped hints of previous jokes and conversations while talking to Calleigh. Ryan and Natalia had now become a permanent team as they were trying to create as much "Eric and Calleigh" time as possible. Today was no exception; Eric and Calleigh were working on the same crime scene, it was a young woman murdered during a tennis match. The only thing that wasn't ideal was that Jake was the detective working on this case.

'Eric here's the casing. It's a 45,' said Calleigh. Ryan and Natalia were right, the "new" Calleigh and Eric were getting on fine. Although they weren't as close as before, they had become good friends since the hospital incident. '…and it has a print, we need to get it back to the lab. This could be from our killer,' finished Calleigh, while walking towards Eric. He was taking pictures of the victim, a 22 year old tennis star, with blond hair and blue eyes, a typical beauty.

'Hey, do you know there's been articles about this girl,' said Calleigh, 'saying that the only reason she's famous is because of her looks, you know, blond hair and blue eyes.'

'Well, if you want to be noticed you've got to have blond hair and blue eyes. No offence,' chuckled Eric.

'None taken, I have green eyes…' Calleigh paused suddenly. She felt a sense of déjà vu, as if she had had this conversation with Eric before, but the flash back was so quick she couldn't remember any details. Eric studied Calleigh's face, hoping that she had remembered something. Calleigh shook her head and changed the topic back to the case. 'Anyway, we had better get all the evidence back to the lab,' she said giving Eric a quick smile. Eric, although annoyed with yet another failure, managed a smile of his own.

'Hey Calleigh, got anything?' said Jake entering the tennis court.

'Not a lot. You?' said Calleigh.

'Well, just some probable motives and the Victim's ID. Her name is Chloe Mend, 22-year-old, has an older brother, Luke. Her father is in the car business and her coach is one of the best in the country, John Reid,' said Jake.

'Reid? John Reid?' asked Calleigh.

'You know him?' asked Jake.

'So do you, don't you remember him? We went to the same college. He dropped out because his parents thought that he'd be better off being a tennis star,' explained Calleigh.

'Oh, him! Yes, I remember! And if I remember correctly he was quite into you, right? But you were obviously into someone else' said Jake giving Calleigh a quick wink, 'now who was that lucky guy? Oh yes, it was me.'

Calleigh didn't say anything, she just blushed. Even though she remembered saying that she wouldn't wait for Jake a year ago, she couldn't remember why she said it, but she was just glad that he had waited for her. He was still the person that she remembered, arrogant, yet smart and handsome. She didn't know how she felt about him, their relationship history had been too complicated, but there was one thing of which she was certain. If he carried on being himself, she was going to fall for him, again.

That blush could have killed Eric. The most frustrating thing in this whole "making friends with the new Calleigh" was that she still remembered how she felt about Jake and once you've fallen for someone, the feeling will always be there. He needed to say something, anything to stop this conversation between Jake and Calleigh, something good-

'Maybe we should bring in John Reid?' said Eric. _Yes, that was brilliant_, thought Eric sarcastically.

'OK, you want to drive?' Jake asked Calleigh.

'No, I think I will bring him in, Calleigh--' said Eric.

'Brilliant! Jake and I will get all the evidence back to the lab then,' said Calleigh enthusiastically.

"Brilliant" wouldn't be the word Eric would have used, but never mind. He had just created more "Jake and Calleigh" time. _Gosh, that was clever,_ he thought gloomily. The enthusiasm in Calleigh's voice was unbearable to him. Eric sighed silently and walked slowly towards his hummer whilst watching Jake and Calleigh walking towards Calleigh's.

The cased was closed that very day. The murderer was actually the victim's dad although the bullet hadn't been intended for Chloe, it was meant for the coach. The dad had thought that the coach and Chloe were seeing each other and it was affecting Chloe's performance.

All the day-shift CSIs were getting ready to go home and this was really the only chance that Ryan, Eric and Natalia could get together and talk about Eric's progress.

'Hey Eric! So? Good day?' asked Ryan.

'Oh yes, it couldn't be better…' answered Eric sarcastically.

'Oh dear, what happened?' asked Natalia worriedly.

Eric let out a deep sight and said, 'Well, Jake was the detective on our case, yes I know, it gets better…' Eric added as he saw the other two's facial expressions, 'I tried my best today and she still remembered nothing, and the worst part was that she blushed when Jake semi-flirted with her.'

'Eric, the blush meant nothing. You know Jake has that effect on girls,' said Natalia.

'He does? Do you blush when he talks to you?' said Ryan in an angry voice, which took Natalia by surprise. They looked at each other awkwardly.

Eric caught the awkwardness and said, 'anyway, I don't know what to do, nothing is working, she is falling for Jake again. You know, she might be happier with Jake.'

Ryan and Natalia snapped their heads in Eric's direction and shouted, 'WHAT!?'

'Eric, no, you can't give up!' shouted Natalia.

'Eric, I know it's frustrating when you feel strongly about a person but they don't get it,' Ryan shot a quick look at Natalia's direction, 'but you need to remember that her memory is incomplete, one day, maybe even tomorrow, she'll remember everything and then you'll regret giving up. If you give up now you are practically handing her over to Jake.'

'Ryan you don't get it! She is falling for him!' Eric was the one shouting now. He is frustrated, ashamed and worried about everything. _What happens if Calleigh remembers everything but still chooses Jake,_ he asked himself silently. The idea made his heart burn. If he gave up now, at least he can say that he was the one that dropped out. Calleigh did not "dump" him.

'Look, you'll regret it. Two years ago when Calleigh and Jake were seeing each other I'm sure coming to work was painful for you and don't deny it,' Ryan retorted when he saw Eric open his mouth trying to argue. 'Do you want to live like that for the rest of your career?'

Eric didn't answer.

'Think about it OK,' said Ryan.

Eric nodded and walked out of the locker room. _Shall I give up?_


	7. The Decision

After a whole night of thorough thinking Eric still hadn't made up his mind. He considered all the pros and cons and decided that he would just carry on as it was for now. Ryan and Natalia had tried talking to Eric again but the responses were no different from before, just a few nods and long sighs. Eric knew that he had to cheer up soon as today was a special day, it was Calleigh's birthday. Calleigh had invited a few of her closer colleagues to the pub after work, and Eric was glad that he was one of them. Now the only difficulty was finding her a present. If it had been before the shootout she would still be his girlfriend and he could have bought her flowers, chocolate, taken her out to an expensive restaurant and spent a night at her place. But things were different now; he was just one of her friends and so, choosing an appropriate present was important. He therefore decided to consult the only other girl-friend he had at the lab, Natalia.

'Hmm, this is hard. I'd say to get her flowers but you wouldn't want to be too up front about the fact that you have feelings for her. I'd suggest chocolate, but that's too normal, you need something that will make your present stand out from the rest,' Natalia advised.

'So what are you getting her?' asked Eric.

'I'm not telling you! It's a surprise!' said Natalia.

'Great, so how am I going to know if my present is going to be better then yours?' asked Eric.

'Eric, your present will never be as good as mine,' said Natalia cheekily, 'but that doesn't mean it won't be the most special, just think through all the memories with her and see what would be special to her.'

Eric let out a long sigh and said, 'Maybe I should just get her shower gel or a bath bomb.'

'NO!' Natalia shouted, 'absolutely not! Shower gel equals I-can't-be-bothered-to-think-up-a-good-present-therefore-here's-some-dove. Baths bomb indicates I-got-this-last-Christmas-but-I'm-never-going-to-use-it-so-here-it-is. You still have 5 hours to find a good present. Now if you don't mind I have three DNA samples to analyse.'

*At Calleigh's Birthday Drink*

'Happy birthday Calleigh!' Natalia and Ryan said together. They both handed their presents to Calleigh. Natalia got Calleigh a gun cleaning kit. Ryan got Calleigh a box of chocolates.

'Oh, you guys didn't need to get me a present. But thanks anyway,' said Calleigh,

She was wearing a short pink dress tonight, which created a contrast from the working Calleigh who almost always wore black. Just as she finished hugging Ryan and Natalia, Horatio walked into the pub.

'Happy birthday Calleigh, I'm sorry I didn't get you anything so please, let me pay for tonight's bill,' said Horatio.

'Horatio, you don't have to do that'

'No, I insist.'

'Hey, that was going to be my birthday present to her, but you beat me to the punch,' Jake complained as he entered the pub. 'Happy birthday Cal,' said Jake giving Calleigh a quick kiss on the cheek, 'but thank goodness I still got you something. Here, Happy birthday.' Jake handed a small envelope to Calleigh.

Calleigh looked at the envelope with curiosity and opened it slowly. It was two tickets to see _Don Giovanni_. Calleigh sighed with watery eyes, 'Jake…you still remember'. She was so moved by Jake's present.

'Of course, that's where we went for our first date. So next Saturday I'll pick you up at 5,' said Jake giving Calleigh a quick wink.

Calleigh nodded and gave Jake a huge hug. Just as she pulled away she saw Eric standing by the door of the pub, whose facial expression was impossible to read. Calleigh, who was confused by Eric's mood, greeted him first, 'Hey! Eric you've made it, better late then never,' said Calleigh giving Eric a quick smile.

'Sorry, it took me a while to find the…right present for you. Well, happy birthday Calleigh,' said Eric handing over a bunch of flowers and a small box.

'Oh, thank you Eric! Those flowers are beautiful,' said Calleigh.

'Well, someone once told me that girls like flowers,' said Eric looking at Calleigh hopefully.

'Whoever that was, she was right, thank you so much. What's in the box?' said Calleigh.

Eric, disappointed with another failure, answered, 'open it and see.'

Calleigh gently tore the wrapping paper and found a small transparent box containing truffles, Grandine Truffles to be precise.

'Oh my gosh Eric! These are my favourites. You can't even get them in Miami,' said Calleigh.

'I know, I had to go out of town to get them that's why I was a bit late, I hope you like your presents.'

'Eric, I love them. But how do you know I love those truffles?' asked Calleigh, confused as she had never told anyone about her love for Grandine Truffles.

'I'm psychic, didn't you know?' said Eric with his cheeky smile.

After a few drinks it was getting close to midnight. Horatio was the first one to notice the time and told his team that he expected them to all be on time the following morning.

'Calleigh once again, happy birthday and I will see you tomorrow,' said Horatio getting out his credit card to pay for the bill.

'Hey Eric, do you want to take Calleigh home I think she's had a little bit too much to drink,' hinted Ryan.

'Hey, Eric I didn't come by car, do you think you could drop me off, too?' asked Jake.

Ryan shot Jake an angry look from behind and said, 'Jake I can take you and Natalia.'

'Wouldn't it be easier if Jake came with Eric and me, he lives just down the road from me?' said Calleigh.

'Sure Jake, let's get going,' agreed Eric unwillingly.

The car journey was practically silent. They arrived at Calleigh's place first.

'Calleigh we're at your place,' said Eric quietly.

'Already here? OK, well, I'll see you guys tomorrow. Thanks for taking me home Eric,' said Calleigh, She got out of the car and walked slowly towards the front door.

Jake suddenly leapt out of the car and ran towards Calleigh. They started talking but Eric could not hear anything; this was a moment when he wished that he could lip read. They talked for about 5 minutes. Then slowly Jake's right hand rose to touch Calleigh's cheek. Eric could sense that something was about to happen that he didn't want to see. Jake suddenly leaned towards Calleigh to close the gap between their lips. Eric wished that he had the strength to drive away; he wished that he had the strength to look away, but he couldn't do either. His eyes were fixed on the couple who were now embracing in each other's arms, pulling each other closer. At this moment Eric made his decision.

_It's too late_, he thought.

* * *

OK, not a particularly good chapter for hiphugger fans but things are going to get better soon!!! bare with me!

(I am a huge hiphugger fan)


	8. Round Two

'I'm sorry, what?!' that was Ryan's reaction when Eric told him what had happened last night.

Eric had arrived at work 30 minutes before everyone else as he had been trying to avoid seeing Jake and Calleigh walking in together, hand in hand. After he had put everything in his locker he had gone to the lobby to wait for Ryan and Natalia's arrival so he could tell them his decision.

'I know. I can't believe it happened again!' said Eric gloomily.

'No, I didn't mean Jake kissing Calleigh, I meant you driving off!' said Ryan.

'What else was I supposed to do? Sit there with some pop corn and enjoy the show!?' complained Eric.

'No, of course not! But you could've jumped out of the car and punched Jake in the face. Do you know what this means?' said Ryan.

'Yes, they're in a relationship now. I'm out of the picture when I was never in the picture.'

'No, it means--' before Ryan could finish Natalia walked into the lab.

'So how did it go last night?' asked Natalia.

'It was amazing,' said Eric sarcastically. Eric filled Natalia in on the details and Natalia's reaction was no different to Ryan's.

'You what!? Do you know what this means?' shouted Natalia.

'No I don't, but I think Ryan could answer that question for me,' said Eric.

'Eric, think! You were Jake's lift. You left, giving Jake the perfect reason to stay the night!' explained Ryan.

No, Eric hadn't thought of it that way- all he had wanted to do was to escape, escape from reality.

'So, what's your next move?' asked Natalia.

'Next move? There is no next move. They're together now so I'm out of the picture. After all, Calleigh chose Jake and not me,' said Eric.

'How can you think of it like that?! She didn't choose him! You never told her how you felt since she came back!' shouted Natalia, 'Just like the first time!' she added.

'The first time! What do you know! I gave her hints and she gave me signs! You were the one that saw her kiss me!' Eric said furiously. He wasn't wrong; Calleigh did give him the wrong idea and made him hope, both the first time and this time. There was nothing more he could have done. Although, maybe Ryan was right, he could have punched Jake in the face.

Just as Natalia opened her mouth to retort back, Jake and Calleigh appeared outside the lab. They were smiling and talking to each other. Turning his head, Jake saw Ryan, Natalia and Eric staring back at the couple. He gave a quick wave before disappearing out of sight with Calleigh.

There was complete silence in the room where Eric, Ryan and Natalia stood. Eric's face wore an expression of pure jealousy; Natalia's showed anger and Ryan's was awkwardness. Nobody wanted to be the first to break the silence.

'Good morning, I'm glad to see everyone on time for work;' it was Horatio who spoke first. He was standing by the door looking at the three statues, 'Ryan and Natalia, I need you two to be over at the crime scene that was reported this morning.'

'We'll head over there now,' said Ryan dragging Natalia, who was still giving Eric evil glares, out of the room.

'And Eric, I think you might have some leftover finger prints from the night shift to analyse,' said Horatio, 'I don't want whatever happened last night to affect your work so I think Calleigh and Jake can process the crime scene by themselves today.'

Eric nodded and without a word he headed over to his lab.

*Three Weeks Later*

Three ordinary weeks had gone past. Eric hadn't seen much of Calleigh ever since her birthday as Ryan and Natalia decided that it was for the best that Eric didn't team up with Calleigh. Ryan had therefore become Calleigh's permanent team mate. Calleigh didn't seem to realise the change, which made Eric really annoyed. He had thought she would be confused about the new arrangement and confront him about it. Then he could tell her that it was due to her relationship with Jake.

'Then what do you expect her to do? Break up with Jake?' asked Natalia when Eric shared his annoyance with her.

She was right. That was exactly what he wanted her to do.

Eric could not help but notice the silver ring on her ring finger when she walked into his lab two weeks after her birthday, and without a doubt it had affected his speed in processing the evidence that day. All he could think about was the significance of that ring.

'It was on her right hand Eric, it doesn't mean anything. It might have been a late birthday present or just a small gift from a boyfriend to a girlfriend,' said Natalia, annoyed.

The other thing Eric did not understand was how Jake could still have his job. The only good thing about Jake and Calleigh working together was that Jake could get distracted and not perform well (Calleigh would never let personal relationships affect her work) but clearly this was not the case.

This morning was the beginning of another ordinary day. Eric and Horatio were at a crime scene together. The killer or killers were the definition of cold blooded. The victims were two sisters; their dismembered bodies were found in their house. Horatio was inside the house with Alexx and Eric was looking around the house trying to gather any evidence.

'I don't need them to be on my table to tell you that they were probably raped,' commented Alexx.

'I know the cause of death is obvious but could you check for any stab wounds or gun shot wounds?' said Horatio.

'I'll let you know,' said Alexx.

'Eric, what have you got?' asked Horatio as Eric entered the room.

'H, I think their boat is missing. It might have been the way in which killer escaped,' said Eric.

'Good job Eric, call for back up,' said Horatio while dashing out of the house.

*30 minutes later*

Two police boats were now chasing a small white jet. Calleigh, Ryan and Natalia were on the second police boat, a short distance behind the other boat which contained Horatio and Eric. The jet contained four men who were all carrying guns. They were shooting at the police boats in an attempt to escape- it was another mad shootout. Even though the four men on the jet were outnumbered the police were there to catch them not to kill them, which made it an even match. Eric was aiming at the man on the left side of the boat, who was shooting in Calleigh's direction but before he could pull the trigger the man was already on the ground. Eric looked towards the other boat and saw Calleigh re-loading her gun. He smiled and thought, _her aim is amazing_, remembering how she managed to get him at the shootout.

Before he looked away he saw Calleigh's eyes widen as she turned slowly to look at her right shoulder, which was soaked in her own blood. Feeling a sudden dizziness, she lost her balance and toppled into the deep ocean.

Before Eric could consider his other options he screamed, 'CALLEIGH!' and dived in to save her. As he entered the water he heard Horatio shout, 'I need a life boat!' before he was engulfed by complete silence. He opened his eyes to search for Calleigh and found her sinking into darkness. He swam towards her, hoping to catch her and pull her towards the surface. Upon emerging from the water, he gasped for breath and searched for the life boat.

As the life boat reached land an ambulance was already waiting. On their way to the hospital Eric never let go of Calleigh's hands. Her eyes were firmly shut.

_Don't leave me again, please_, he thought. What Eric didn't know was that when Calleigh opened her eyes, everything was going to change.


	9. Awake

Next chapter will be the last chapter and in order to let you guys read it without any distractions, I would like to take this opportunity to thank my amazing editor, Melanie, who has been doing this as a personal favor. I am sure you will all agree that she deserves a HUGE round of applause *clapclapclapclapclap* and a heavy pat on the back *patpatpat*. Once again, THANKS MALANIE!!!!

Ok!...chapter 9....enjoy.

* * *

*At the hospital*

Calleigh was lying on the hospital bed. _Where am I? What happened?_ She thought. Although she had regained consciousness her eye lids felt too heavy to open.

_I was on a boat._

_There was a shootout._

_A man on the jet was aiming at me but before he could pull the trigger my bullet was already flying through the air towards him._

_Then…then what happened?_

_Pain in my right shoulder and suddenly I was falling._

_I hit something hard then…darkness,_ she thought while feeling the pain in her spine rising up to her head.

She gradually opened her eyes. It was too bright to see her surroundings. After a few seconds, her gaze fell on an image that she would love to wake up to every morning. Eric, his piercing brown eyes that were staring back at her; Eric, the person she considered as her perfect match; Eric, who had been her friend for seven years yet they had endless conversations about everything.

'Calleigh? Can you hear me?'

_No, that's not Eric's voice_, Calleigh thought. She closed her eyes then reopened them to find a different pair of eyes looking at her.

'Calleigh?' said Jake. 'Alexx, is she ok? She's just staring at me. Are you sure she's alright? You said she swallowed a lot of water,' Jake continued, sounding worried.

_Jake? Of course, we've been seeing each other,_ realised Calleigh whilst staring back at the bewildered Jake.

'Let me take a look,' said Alexx, 'Calleigh? Can you hear me? Are you feeling ok?'

Calleigh nodded. But that was the answer for the first question only; she wanted to shake her head for the second question. No, she wasn't feeling ok. All she felt was confusion.

Jake let out a long sigh, relieved. He then turned to Alexx and asked, 'So when can she leave the hospital?'

'Her shoulder injury has been treated so as long as she keeps the wound away from water for a week, she can leave tomorrow,' said Alexx giving Calleigh and Jake a reassuring smile.

Meanwhile back at the lab, Eric was working on the evidence collected from the shootout. However, he was finding it hard to concentrate as Calleigh was once again lying on a hospital bed, unconscious. While he was wondering silently whether she is going to be alright this time, Ryan walked in.

'So you got anything?' asked Ryan.

Eric didn't answer.

'Eric, Eric!' Ryan shouted.

'Oh! Hey, what did you say?' Eric said, surprised.

'I said did you get anything useful?'

'No, nothing…' he trailed off.

Ryan understood Eric's mood, he had been in this mood ever since he found out that Calleigh no longer remembered him, so it wasn't hard for Ryan to pick up. 'You're worried about her, right? Why did you call Jake?' he asked.

'It was the right thing to do. After all, he is her boyfriend,' said Eric, 'he had a right to know.'

'It might have been the right thing, but definitely not the best thing,' Ryan said in a quiet voice, but just loud enough for Eric to hear.

Eric didn't answer. Ryan was right; the better thing would to stay by her side. He sighed loudly.

'Well, the good news is that she'll be able to leave the hospital today and knowing her, she'll be at the lab at 8 on the dot,' said Ryan. 'I just got off the phone with Alexx,' he added.

'Oh, OK. I need to get on with this,' said Eric pointing towards the pile of guns lying on the table, 'I will call you when I got something.'

Ryan shook his head and left the room. He had no idea what he's going to do with Eric. _He can't go on like this forever,_ Ryan thought.

*The Next Day*

As predicted, Calleigh was already in the lab at 8; however, she was here early for another reason. She wanted to speak to Natalia alone. Thirty minutes after Calleigh had arrived Natalia stepped into the locker room, where Calleigh had been waiting.

'Hey Natalia, how are you?' said Calleigh.

'How are _you_? Why are you here? Did Alexx approve? Because if she did, I'm going to have a word with her,' said Natalia jokingly.

'I'm fine. Well, overall I'm fine but…can I ask you something?' said Calleigh.

'Yes, of course,' said Natalia, confused by Calleigh's secretive tone.

'Well, when I woke up at the hospital something wasn't right with me – oh no, I feel fine physically,' she added quickly when she saw Natalia's disapproving face, 'it's hard to explain. It felt as though I had suddenly remembered a lot of things. You know when you forget something and you suddenly remember it? That kind of feeling.'

No, Natalia didn't know that feeling; in fact she didn't even try to imagine it. As soon as Calleigh said that she felt like she suddenly remembered a lot of things, she understood what was going on. 'Calleigh, when you came back after the shoot out a few months ago, we missed out a few things with regards to your health,' she took a deep breath and continued, 'when you woke up at the hospital you recognized everyone except one person. You didn't know who Eric was. Alexx said that it was due to oxygen deprivation.'

Calleigh looked at her blankly, her brain trying to formulate a coherant response. Finally she managed to say, 'So I lost my memory for -- '

'--About 2 months' Natalia finished for her.

'So how is it that I remembered everyone else?' Calleigh asked weakly.

'We didn't know exactly why your memory loss was selective, but Alexx said that your brain may have chosen to block out the most painful memory and losing Eric was too painful for you,' Natalia explained.

Then there was a long silence. Neither of them knew what to say to each other.

Natalia could not stand the long silence and decided to speak first, 'So, what's your next move?'

'Next move? What do you mean?' Calleigh asked.

'Are you going to tell Eric that your memory has returned? He'll be delighted,' Natalia said, 'but there's another problem.'

'What other problem?' Calleigh asked, confused.

'If you tell Eric the truth, he'll expect you to go back to him. But you and Jake…' Natalia said while nodding towards the silver ring on Calleigh's finger.

'It's on my right hand, it means nothing,' Calleigh insisted

'You're going to have to make a choice. You can tell Eric and go back to him, or you can tell Jake instead to show that you choose him over Eric,' suggested Natalia, 'which will absolutely break Eric's heart if he finds out later' she added quietly. _The rest of the team will think that you made the wrong choice too_, she said to herself.

This conversation was followed by another long silence. Calleigh realised the pain she had caused Eric and wouldn't blame him if he had given up completely during the past two months. However, the thought of losing him forever was painful. But what about Jake? Even though he had done things that had upset her, in the past two months she had grown closer to him. It was made more difficult because she loved them both, but Natalia was right, she had to make a choice.

TBC


	10. The Best Choice

Natalia caught Ryan the next day in the locker room to tell him about her conversation with Calleigh the previous day. Ryan only had two questions, the first being what triggered the memory to come back and secondly, what was Calleigh going to do next.

'I had the exact same questions when she told me,' Natalia answered, 'I called Alexx last night and she said that she had no idea how it happened. Her guess was that the trauma from being shot at and nearly drowning could have triggered her memory. Or it may be as simple her brain having had time to refresh her memory while she was unconscious. Either way, I think we should be happy that her memory's returned.'

'Hmm…and did you ask her what she was going to do?' Ryan answered thoughtfully,

'Yes, and I also gave her a few choices. I told her that if she tells Jake then -- '

'She is going to stay with him and vice versa' Ryan finished for Natalia.

Natalia gave Ryan an approving nod.

'Has she spoken to either of them?' Ryan asked.

'No, I haven't seen her today. She might be out on a crime scene,' Natalia said, 'oh and, I don't think we should tell Eric. I think he should find out from Calleigh.'

Ryan nodded just as Calleigh hurried past the lab that they were in. Natalia and Ryan looked at each other and crossed their fingers for Eric.

Calleigh had stayed up all night thinking about what she was going to do. She had carefully considered everything she'd been through with both of them, both sad and happy and had made what she believed to be the best choice for her. Just as she started to revise what she was going to say, she saw him in the trace lab. Calleigh took a deep breathe and entered the lab,

'Jake, can I speak to you for a moment?' asked Calleigh.

Jake, who was looking through the microscope, looked up and gave Calleigh an encouraging smile.

Meanwhile, Eric had just returned from a crime scene and was about to take the evidence to the trace lab. He paused outside the glass door when he saw Calleigh and Jake in there. Eric considered leaving them alone, _eavesdropping is rude_, he thought. But somehow his feet decided otherwise and refused to move.

Calleigh didn't want to open the conversation with what she was here for, so she thought she'd show interest in what Jake was doing first, 'What are you looking at?'

'Some substances extracted from the victims shirt, sodium chloride.'

'Salt,' Calleigh answered.

'Table salt, but I don't think you're here to speak to me about that. What's wrong?' Jake asked.

Calleigh took a deep breath and said, 'Jake, I remember everything, it happened when I woke up at the hospital. I don't know how though, all my memories just flooded back,'

'…and you are telling me this because?' Jake asked.

'Because I love you!' Calleigh shouted.

Outside the lab Eric felt sick, physically sick. The pain in his heart was unbearable; he wanted to scream, he wanted to cry. But he could do neither of these things. Instead he forced his feet to move and walked away.

In the lab, Jake beamed at Calleigh but she continued,

'I love you so I have to tell you the truth,' Calleigh took a deep breath before continuing; 'I'm going back to Eric.'

The smile on Jake's face faded.

'I'm so sorry,' said Calleigh whilst walking out of the lab.

Jake grabbed Calleigh's arm saying, 'Wait! Is this a joke or…or a test? To see how much you mean to me? To see if I'd beg for you to stay?'

'Jake let go,' Calleigh ordered.

Jake ignored her and continued, 'Because I will. Calleigh, please don't leave me again. I can't lose you. Eric's already lost you but I --'

'No, Eric never lost me. There has been some…misunderstandings,' Calleigh said, 'and Jake, this won't be our first break up.'

There was a long pause before Jake let out a weak laugh and said, 'Somehow I always knew that one day, when your memories returned, you'd leave me again. But I hoped, truly hoped that your memories would remain lost forever or even if they were retrieved, that you'd still choose me.'

'Jake…' Calleigh whispered.

'Go, go and tell Eric this…good news,' said Jake giving Calleigh a forced smile.

'Thank you Jake,' said Calleigh, dashing out of the lab.

When Calleigh had disappeared from view, the smile on Jake's face turned to anger and disappointment. He let out a low growl and pounded both of his fists into the table.

It took Calleigh a little longer to find Eric, who was down at the firearms.

'Eric,' Calleigh called softly.

Eric did not answer.

'Eric,' she said again.

Eric turned around and said, 'What?' with so much coldness in his voice that it gave Calleigh a chill.

'Eric, I want to tell you something. I- '

'– remember everything, ' Eric finished for her, his tone icy.

'How do you-'

'-and you love Jake so much that you have to scream it out loud for everyone to hear at the lab,' continued Eric, his voice growing in anger and getting louder.

'You overheard us?' Calleigh asked.

'I…am happy for you, you two make a great couple,' said Eric, ignoring Calleigh's question.

Now Calleigh began to get angry, 'Eric, you obviously didn't hear the whole conversation, let me explain -- '

'I have to get back to work so could you leave please?' said Eric, ignoring Calleigh once again.

'Eric -- '

'Please'

Calleigh could not hold in her anger any longer. Eric was being stupid; it was just a little misunderstanding that could be cleared if he'd just listen to her.

'Well, technically you are in _my_ lab so could _you_ leave please,' it was childish but she had to say it.

Eric looked around him and realised that Calleigh was right. He picked up his equipment and shouted, 'Fine!'

'Fine!' she shouted back.

_That was successful_, she thought sarcastically.

*10:00pm*

The dayshift had started to complete their work or were handing them over to the nightshifts. Eric, who had solved his case, was down at the locker room first. Just as he closed his locker door, Jake walked in. They both gave each other a cold, dirty look.

'So…congrats,' said Jake thinking that he'd be the bigger person.

'What!?' said Eric, who was confused by Jake's words. There was nothing for Jake to congratulate him for.

'You and Calleigh. I'm happy for you and I mean it. Even though I'd rather she stayed with me, but I'm happy if she's happy,' said Jake.

'Calleigh and I? Jake I hope that you aren't trying to rub it in my face. She said that she loves you,' said Eric, getting a bit annoyed.

'Man, what are you talking about? She said that she had to tell me the truth, which was that she loves you more then she loves me, so she was going back to you.' Jake said confusedly.

'What did you say,' Eric said weakly.

'Didn't she find you today? She hurried off as soon as she told me – hey where are you going!' before Jake could finish, Eric was already half way down the corridor. _And I thought I couldn't mess up anymore,_ he thought angrily.

*11.00 pm*

Eric was outside Calleigh's house. He took a few deep breaths and pressed the door bell,

_Ding Dong, Ding Dong_

'Who is it?' Calleigh asked.

'It's me, Eric.'

The door flung open. Calleigh was in her night gown and the light radiating from the house made her look like an angel in Eric's eyes. To his surprise, Calleigh's cheeks were slightly flushed.

'Did you have something to drink?' he asked disapprovingly.

'Only a couple of glasses of wine,' she answered.

'Why?' he asked.

'Because I did a terrible thing today to someone and I regret it --' before Calleigh could finish, Eric yanked her forward to curve her body round his and landed his lips on hers. Calleigh was shocked by this action but raising her arms to wrap them around tightly Eric's neck, she pulled herself closer to him. Once Eric felt Calleigh responding he deepened his kiss. It was a long and passionate kiss, neither of them wanted to stop. But it was Eric who pulled away first.

'May I come in?' Eric asked breathlessly.

Calleigh smiled and said, 'Feel free.'

They walked into the living room, hand in hand, and both sat down on the sofa. Eric raised his arms so Calleigh could snuggle herself on his chest and as if it was as normal as breathing, Eric wrapped his arm round her shoulder.

'So what made you see the light?' Calleigh whispered.

'Huh?'

'Well, I tried to explain to you today and you just wouldn't listen. I mean, how could you possibly think that I'd choose Jake when you're around?' Calleigh said cheekily.

'Oh that!' Eric finally caught up, 'you did choose him…' he continued quietly.

'When I couldn't think straight.'

'And you said you love him…' Eric complained.

'But I do -- no Eric, let me finish,' Calleigh said as she saw Eric's eyes widened, 'I love him as a friend. But for you, the word "love" isn't enough and will never be. The word "boyfriend" sounds so childish when I use it to describe our relationship together. You mean the world to me Eric, so don't you go saying that I'd be better off with someone else and "I'm happy for you, you two make a great couple"' Calleigh said imitating Eric's voice.

Eric laughed and said, 'Well, don't say "I love you" to some other guy in the future, it may give them the wrong idea.'

'Then don't eavesdrop and when you do, try and listen to the other person's explanation.'

'Deal. But next time, try not to lose your memory. It's very inconvenient for others,' said Eric.

'Fair enough. In the future, when you are off to do something dangerous like helping your dad, try and tell me the truth.'

'OK, that means you will never shoot me again,' said Eric.

'You know, for someone like me,' Calleigh grinned, 'I really should have got you. I _was_ aiming at the driver.'

They looked at each other for a split second then both let out a roar of laughter. Once they started, they couldn't stop. Both of them needed this joy and happiness after the difficult past 3 months. When Calleigh finally stifled her laughter she realised the time.

'Oh gosh! It's nearly midnight! You'd better get going,' she said.

'Or, if you don't mind, I could stay here?' he asked shyly, 'but I'll still need to head back to my place for change of clothes.'

Calleigh sat up straight and turned her body so she was facing him. She reached for his right arm and placed his palm on her heart and said, 'This, is your place, this is where you'll be,' she took a deep breath and whispered, 'forever.'

Eric reached for her right palm and placed it over his heart and echoed, 'forever.'

……The End......

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Hope you enjoyed the story!


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